New Moon in Leo ~ Purva Phalguni nakshatra 9.2.24

September 2, 2024 ~ New Moon in Leo ~ Purva Phalguni nakshatra ~ Creative Energy

What are you desiring to create in your life? This new moon is in Leo, in Purva Phalguni nakshatra, the one holding the Prajanana Shakti, a highly creative energy relating to both artistic creations, romantic and sensual pursuits and procreation. Phal means “fruit” and can refer to the child as the fruit of the womb, the fruit of the procreative union or even the fruits of creating beautiful, artistic things in the world. Madonna has both her Lagna and Moon in Purva Phalguni.

The animal of Purva Phalguni, or yoni, is the female rat. The rat is the attendant or vahana (vehicle) of Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. Female rats are capable of producing large amounts of offspring, in the realm of 6 litters a year, with up to 12 rats each. Rat populations can explode exponentially because of this. Rats are also intelligent and will hoard resources. The rat symbolizes uncontrolled desires and greed that can be destructive.

In the Tibetan astrology system, rats represent prosperity and the ability to have success and wealth. They may also become attached to their wealth and can potentially be selfish. Rat is described as also being generous and adaptable. In the Chinese zodiac, rats are described as very social and expressive, representing wisdom and prosperity.

There are several stories relating to rats and Ganesha in the Vedic stories. One story involves a gandharva (heavenly musician) named Krauncha who was cursed to become a rat. The curse could not be removed but he was given a boon of becoming Lord Ganesha’s vehicle. In another version, Krauncha was a huge rat who was troubling everyone and eating lots of the food stores, so Parashara asked Ganesha to help stop Kraucha from being destructive.

Another story is that Ganesha asked the rat to be his vahana after a battle with Gajamukha demon who had obtained powers of invincibility from Lord Shiva through severe austerities. The demon started harassing all the devas (gods). Ganesha battled with the demon but it was difficult due to his boon of invincibility, so he broke one of his tusks and threw it at Gajamukha, cursing him to be transformed into a rat. Then, Lord Ganesha worked with the rat by making him his vahana. This helped in working with the rat’s desires, getting it out of it’s own way, and preventing any damage it could potentially do.

Importantly, Ganesha did not get rid of the rat. Instead, he asked the rat to be his vahana, and his ally. If you look at images of Ganesha, they tend to have a rat on them. Knowing what we desire and want to create is important. It is equally important to not let our desires become out of control, greedy and damaging to ourselves and others. By keeping our desires in our conscious awareness, they can be worked with, instead of hiding in the shadows, running amok in our lives and becoming destructive.

There is a story that Sri M tells about desire, from his book ‘Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master-A Yogi’s Autobiography’, on Page 169, as he is meditating on his ajna chakra, he says “ No matter how hard I tried, all I could see was the image of my favourite breakfast dish, the South Indian masala dosa. For the first time, I realised how fond I was of Masala dosa. It was almost an obsession, and I fought hard against it, trying to get rid of the image.

Babaji walked up to me, tapped me on my shoulder and asked, “So what are you meditating on?” “The Ajna Chakra,” I replied. “Yes? And it’s shaped like a masala dosa?” he said, and started laughing.

“Please, Babaji,” I said, “I know that you know all that is happening in my mind, but don't laugh. Please help me out.”

“Sorry,” said Babaji, “I won't laugh. Tomorrow, we will go to Rishikesh and I will help you get rid of the obsession. The first step is to eat masala dosa to your heart's consent. The Madras Cafe at Rishikesh has excellent masala dosas. I will get you as much as you want and then you shall be free of the obsession. The tantric dictum, ‘Yogo Bhoga Yathae,’ is based on the fact that sometimes, you cannot get rid of an obsession without indulging it. So relax and try again.”

I was surprised that even the thought that I was going to have my fill of masala dosa the next day, erased the image that had interrupted my kriya, and I could easily complete my exercise.”

The masala dosa that Sri M was craving could have been anything we might want. He talks about how some needs or desires, such as having a family or big career, may need to be met and satiated before our path shifts and our life changes.

The Vedic Journey through the nakshatras describes the path of the soul as it incarnates into this life and grows through experiences. It may have desires that are more material or spiritually focused, or one that encompasses both ways of being in their own ways and perfect timing. Purva Phalguni holds that one can be fully immersed in the world materially and be on a spiritual path, that they are not mutually exclusive. When the desires become out of control and greedy like a demon, those desires may need to be given attention in a way that can find and address the underlying needs behind the desire or behavior. Especially if that desire and what it’s creating wreak havoc in our lives and the lives of others.

OM Gam Ganapataye Namah

*Photo: thanks to armennano from Pixabay

Book Resources:

Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master-A Yogi’s Autobiography, by Sri M

Feeding Your Demons, by Tsultrim Allione